Panasonic HM-TA20 review

It’s waterproof, plus video quality is good, but too many niggles for a recommendation

Pocket video cameras were all the rage a year or so ago, but the ubiquity of smartphones able to record HD footage has seriously eroded their appeal. Panasonic is hoping to reinvigorate consumer interest with the addition of a touchscreen and a rugged design.

Panasonic certainly has the track record to pull it off. Its Toughbook laptops have long been favourites of workers who need computing power in the field, and the HM-TA20 looks to have benefited from this experience.

Available in a bright, anodised blue or orange finish, the HM-TA20 feels solidly made. In typical rugged fashion, there are exposed screwheads, dramatically chamfered edges and, around the sides, a scattering of lockable, sealed flaps that allow the camera to be submerged in up to 3m of water - great fun at the beach. Even the pop-out USB arm is sealed away, and it's shockproof too.

The camera shoots 1080p video at 30fps, and there's even an LED video light next to the lens. Turn on the HM-TA20, however, and the positive first impressions quickly dissipate. The camera's user interface is cluttered and poorly designed, with large, clip-art style graphics. The software, stored onboard, isn't much better. Although it offers plenty of power, it's ugly and isn't easy to use.

The 3in touchscreen uses cheap resistive technology, which isn't particularly responsive. The integrated rechargeable lithium ion battery stops charging when you put it in “PC” mode (to transfer pictures and video) and there’s no built-storage – you have to supply your own SD card.

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Quality makes up for this to some degree, with excellent results in good light. There's plenty of detail and footage looks more crisp than that of the Sony Bloggie Touch - our current favourite pocket video camera. In low light the difference is less marked, with grainy, but not murky shots the order of the day.

Where it really loses out to the Sony Bloggie, however, is in frame rates: drop to 720p and the Bloggie will shoot at up to 60fps for smooth panning and action shots; the Panasonic, on the other hand, remains steadfastly stuck on 30fps. We found the electronic image stabilisation to be less effective too.

Video quality may be good then, and the waterproofing is certainly a fun feature, but the Sony Bloggie Touch – with its bundled 360-degree lens, better software, superior stabilisation and smoother motion capture at lower resolutions – makes it look rather ordinary.

Specifications

Camcorder HD standard

1080p

Camcorder maximum video resolution

1920 x 1080

Camera megapixel rating

5.3mp

Camcorder recording format

MPEG-4 (MP4)

Accessory shoe?

no

Camera optical image stabilisation

no

Electronic image stabilisation?

yes

Screen size

3.0in

Touchscreen

yes

Viewfinder?

no

Built-in flash?

yes

Light?

yes

Number of sensors

1

Audio

Internal mic type

stereo

External mic socket?

no

Dimensions

Dimensions width

65

Dimensions depth

18

Dimensions height

112

Dimensions

64.5 x 17.5 x 112mm (WDH)

Weight

154g

Storage

Integrated memory

0.0GB

Memory card support

SDXC

Outputs

Data connection

USB

Composite video output?

no

Component video output?

no

Accessories

Comments

Listening to the podcast I think you missed the point. We have a waterproof Sony camera. We don't use it underwtaer, but knowing we can use it on the beach or round the pool without having to worry about getting it wet is a big plus. We also don't have to worry about getting sand in it, as it's sealed. We were in the Caribbean at Xmas, and got lots of great photos in and out of the the waves!

I think you've underplayed the importance of this. As a parent of young children I've been waiting for one of these for years. Parents will know that kids are never happier than in the pool or on the beach and they tend to like to grab the camera off you at any opportunity, smear it with ice cream and then promptly drop it. This will be a big seller and I definitely want one!

Why do reviewers always think waterproof equals submerged?My family and I love the great outdoors and having a video camera that can be used up a mountain in horizontal rain, on a soggy dog walk or in a kayak is a HUGE advantageand us it can be rinsed under the tap to clean it afterwards.Being less extreme I can see many using it for recording water rides at theme parks or of course on the beach where the sand and salt can be simply washed off when back home.Try any of that with the Sony and see how long it lasts.I want one.